The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street: An NYT Bestselling Novel About Family and Home for Children (Ages 8–12)

This is normally not my cup of tea. I’m a heavy romance reader (30f) but my 10 yo cousin begged our family to be in a book club with her and this was the first book. And WHAT A BOOK it was! This tale was so sweet and uplifting! There were even parts I shed actual tears. A story of love and loss written so phenomenally well that parts of me wish I had read it so long ago but know that as an adult it hits so much harder. I seriously recommend this book for your child but also that you spend the time to read it with them. The perfect book to read as a family!

If you like The Penderwicks, then you will love The Vanderbeekers! This heart-felt story is set in Harlem, New York City. The story shows that the best way to fight a battle is with love.This book is about the five Vanderbeeker children: Oliver, Hyacinth, Laney, Jessie, and Isa. They are trying to convince their landlord to let them stay after he unexpectedly does not to accept to renew their lease. They will have to move by the end of the December. The five Vanderbeeker children come up with a plan to win over Mr. Beiderman and give him no choice but to let them stay.If you've read The Penderwicks, who was your favorite character? Is it Skye? If it is, then you will find a connection to Jessie, a sassy, adventurous, and confident girl. If you liked Rosalind, then you will like Isa. Isa is like Rosalind in a way that they both take charge of their younger siblings - and they both crush on an older boy! If you liked Jane, then you will love Hyacinth. If you liked Batty, then you will love Laney, the youngest Vanderbeeker child who is bright and has a connection to the Vanderbeeker's dog, Fritz.Overall, this book is an amazing story that children of all ages would love. I loved this story and finished reading it in three days. I hope you love it as much as I do. If you liked this book, then there's a sequel - it's the first in a group of four books. I can't wait to read the next!

A great find for readers who are looking to relax and be entertained by a story that depicts how stories should always end.

The story of the Vanderbeekers and how they saved their home is heartwarming and tender. It took a bit to get into as there were too many characters (one too many Vanderbeeker kids) which weren’t necessary. Once you get into it and understand the dynamics of the kids, it’s a much easier read. I wish the author included details of them being a mixed race family. It would paint a better picture, perhaps include a bit about their culture instead of them just being a large family. That was one of the reasons why I had purchased this book. Overall, it was a lovely story, the illustrations ares charming and my 9 year old thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the @kidlitechange network for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.The Vanderbeekers have lived in their brownstone apartment in Harlem for the past 6 years. Now it is almost Christmas, and their landlord, Mr. Beiderman, has decided not to renew their lease, and without giving a reason. The five Vanderbeeker children come together and make plans to try to convince Mr. Beiderman to let them stay in the apartment. They try bringing him breakfast, making/ buying gifts, and even start a petition to allow them to stay in their home. In the midst of preparing for their move, the family is also preparing for Christmas, which is a little sadder for them this year since it will be the last holiday in the brownstone. Will the children be able to convince the Beiderman to let them stay?I loved this book! When I started reading, I immediately fell in love with the entire family. The author did an amazing job of developing the characters, and I loved the unique personalities of each of the children. I thought it was great that we see the sibling rivalry and disagreements between the children, but also how they come together to help their family. I also love that the Vanderbeekers are such a hard-working, loving family. You know that no matter what happens to them, they will be okay because of how much they love and care for one another.I couldn’t wait to purchase a copy for my classroom!

There is so much to love about The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, everything from the setting to the characters and the storyline were just wonderful. First off is the setting of Harlem with all of these fun detailed descriptions of the brownstone and surrounding shops and landmarks, the darling black and white illustrations by the author for the layout of the ground floor apartment, an illustration of where the other residents of the building live and full-page map of Harlem on the front inside cover. And look at that cover, utterly gorgeous, the colors just pop. The Vanderbeekers are a large family that includes two parents, five siblings, a dog, a cat and even a bunny, together they bring all the joyous sounds of a bustling household with siblings who love and care about one another. Each of the children is delightful on their own and so individually realized and unique. There's even an extended family made of friends, relatives, and neighbors with lovely interactions between the Vanderbeeker children and their friends that appear in natural ways, with everything from the mailman who while dropping off the mail gets homemade dog treats from Hyacinth, Oliver and his best friend Jimmy who talk on their walkie talkie's, the upstairs neighbors Miss Josie and Mr. Jeet who visit with young Laney and even Isa's music teacher Mr. Van Hooten, who together give this book a warm, comfy feeling of both community and family. Not to mention there is a side story between one of the twins and Benny, whose mom owns the local bakery and a bit of a mix-up over an upcoming dance. Plus food, glorious food references making me want to try the hot chocolate with cayenne and cinnamon that was mentioned. I really love how the Vanderbeeker siblings are trying to win over their curmudgeonly landlord by drawing on their individual strengths in writing poetry, drawing, crafting, music, and kindness toward animals to make gifts for the Beiderman in hopes he would see how valuable they were and renew their lease. Their plans to smoother him with kindness don't always go as planned, but they aren't easily discouraged and they do make a lovely team. I was really touched when the reason Mr. Beiderman hasn't left his apartment was revealed, and how the children realized that "home is more than a place" and that what they really wanted is for Mr. Beiderman to feel better.The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

This family read goes to the heart of how love and hard work in a family draws hearts together. This family is the epitome of effort, failure, more effort, and a positive result that isn't perfect, but it is a steppingstone to a better life. The characters are distinct, the setting is real. This story is part of a most wonderful series. As a children's librarian, wife, mother, and grandmother, I love it.

A cute little middle-grade novel about the Vanderbeekers, a family of seven that lives in Harlem, NY. The five children try to save their home after the scrooge-like landlord refuses to renew their lease days before Christmas.A great book for Christmas in July vibes with a touching story about family and a tight-knit community. Has the quintessential Christmas elements including Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Scrooge, Elves, and a joyous location.My one complaint, though, is that you don’t find out why the landlord refuses to renew the family’s lease until almost the end of the book. I still enjoyed the book, though!

Very good

10 year old loved it so much. She kept bugging us until she got hold of the full series. A much loved and re-read series.

I read this aloud to my 3 and 5yo and we all really enjoyed it. The book depicts the normal lives and everyday adventures of family of 5 children (the Vanderbeekers). We see into their sibling dynamics and their relationships with neighbours in their local area. Set in the run up to Christmas, the children discover their landlord is kicking them out at the end of the month. They take it upon themselves to try to change his mind, through a series of funny mishaps and adventures. A lighthearted, easy read suitable for the whole family.

As a homeschooling family we always have multiple read-alouds on the go. I picked this one up on a whim after hearing it recommended on one of my fave podcasts. We have loved this light-hearted, Christmassy family read-aloud! It was above change of pace for December and none of us could wait to get reading the next chapter. I got many request for ‘just one more page’ till the very end. Don’t hesitate in adding this one to your home library, it’ll get read and reread and you’ll all find yourselves invested in trying to save the Vanderbeeker Family home and cheering up that nasty old Beiderman!

New York Harlem 141丁目の集合住宅(Brownstone : New York等にある古い形式のアパート)に暮らす5人兄弟の心温まる物語。誰でも読んだ後につい本をHugしてしまいそうな気持になると思います。Young adult向けの本ですが、大人(中年パパ)でも十分楽しめる内容です。本物語は、Vanderbeeker家のアパートの大家で、意地悪で気味の悪いMr Beidermanが「次月以降アパートの賃貸契約を延長しない」と通告してきたところから始まります。元々New York市立大学で美術史を教えていたMr Beidermanがどんな人生を歩んできた人物なのかは読んでからのお楽しみ。登場人物５人兄弟中唯一の男の子である女姉妹に囲まれた男の子のOliver、思春期を迎えようとしている中学二年生の双子のJessieとIsa(詳細は記しませんが、Jessieは美味しいパン屋の息子であるBennyがIsaに心をを寄せていたことに嫉妬心があったのかも...)、まだよく物事がわからないまでも自分の気持ちに素直に行動するHyacinthとLaneyが、全員素晴らしい活躍をします。作者であるMs Karina Yan Glaser自身もHarlemに住んでおり、本作品は彼女のデビュー作。作者にも2人の娘さんがいるそうですが、娘さんのAnticsやJoyful spiritが大いに物語に貢献しているのでしょう、彼らへ向ける愛情と同じくらい、彼女が本書に登場するこの5人兄弟に愛情を注いでいることが手に取るようにわかります。また、本作品には犬やウサギ等のペットも登場し人の気持ちの上で大きな役割を果たしています。大人の生活 - 特にDog eats dogのビジネスの超多忙な生活を送る私達にとって、ちょっと立ち止まって数十年前の自分や家族を想うことが出来る、そんな物語だと思います。余談ですが、作者Ms Karina Yan Glaserが本書を書き上げるに際して、彼女の旦那様は何度も何度もお茶を彼女に入れていたそうです。ちょっと見習おうと思います。